About Yoga

Yoga means "to unite", "to yoke" or "to be whole".

As a Heart of Living Yoga Teacher in Oundle, Gretton & Thrapston, Northamptonshire, I like to guide my yoga students through their own personal yoga journey ~ introducing philosophy & yoga practices into our weekly hatha yoga classes which can help enhance their lives in many different ways.
Yoga is an ancient practise of developing, strengthening & balancing the mind, body & spirit.
It's origins date back to around 500bc - 200bc from ancient Indian Vedic & Brahmanic cultures & philosophies.There are 2 main strands of Yoga ~ one which comes down through the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita & the Upanishads, these were thought to be the forest dwellers who would sit at the foot of the Guru to learn & be guided by him. They follow the path of the Atman (spirit or soul within) being part of the greater divine being the Brahman ~ we are all part of a Oneness. The other strand follows that of Patanjali & the Yoga Sutras whose path is that we are each individual beings & the greater being is Ishwara. The Yoga Sutras are also better known as the 8 limbs of Yoga & these are the disciplines through which to live a more Spiritual life.

The 8 limbs of Yoga are :~

Yama ~ Moral Principles

Niyama ~ Personal Disciplines

Asana ~ Physical Yoga Postures

Pranayama ~ Breath Control

Pratyahara ~ Withdrawal of the Senses

Dharana ~ Focused Attention

Dhyana ~ Meditation

Samadhi ~ Enlightenment & Self-Realisation

Through learning about yourself & following these principles you are working towards living a more peaceful & harmonious way of life . . . beginning a journey that takes you deeper & deeper into your sense of Spiritual Self.
Yoga is an ancient philosophy which many great modern day philosophers & psychologists have taken their roots of practise & principles from. It's as important & relevant now, as it always has been.

Some great reads (which are my personal favourites!) that I would recommend, should you wish to delve deeper into the philosophy of the Yogic Mind are :~

* The Golden Present by Sri Swami Satchidananda

* The Living Gita by Sri Swami Satchidananda

* To Know Yourself by Sri Swami Satchidananda

* The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Swami Satchidananda

* Meditation by Eknath Easwaran

* The Bhagavad Gita by Eknath Easwaran

It is never too late to learn Yoga, I fully believe that everyone can take something from it & it can truely enrich your life!

If you are looking for a Yoga teacher, then I fully recommend that you try different styles of yoga with different yoga teachers until you find the one that resonates with you.